Coming Back Home
by Videl Warrior Princess
Summary: Goku died, without being able to tell anyone, besides Gohan really, goodbye. Well, thanks to Baba, he gets a week to go back to do that...But at what cost? And how is everyone reacting to his death? [Completed!]
1. I'm Back!

**Writer: **Videl: Warrior Princess****

**Title: **Coming Back Home

**Rating: **PG/PG-13

**Category: **Angst-Goku's family post Cell Games

**Author's Notes:** Hey it's me, Videl: Warrior Princess here!  My friend Keiko kept nagging me to do an angst story.  So I finally I just said, "Damn it alright!"  So, this is a tearjerker about Goku's family and prepare to get a tissue you sentimental types.  If your like Goku, Gohan, or Chi-Chi, you might not want to read this because you'll get dehydrated from crying so much.  If your Vegeta, you might shed one tear or two or none at all, but you'll have a heartache.  And if you're an android, you MIGHT actually feel SOMETHING.   (Sorry 18!)  Anyway, I'm going to do a tearjerker on Vegeta's family next, so, for all you Vegeta fans that didn't cry in this one, you'll cry next time.  (Maybe.)  Now, enjoy and be nice when you write your comments because this is my first try at angst.     

Coming Back Home Chapter One: I'm Back! 

Baba looked at Goku sternly as she gave him instructions.  "Look Goku, if you do this, blah, blah, blah, blah………………" was all Goku could get through his thick skull as he was jumping up and down gleefully like a little child chanting, "I'm going back!  I'm going back!  I'm going back to Earth!"  (Now we all know where Goten gets his musical talent from… ~X:WP)  

"Are you ready?" Baba asked the childish Saiyan, sounding tired, and wondering in the back of her head how can the strongest warrior of all time act such like a child.

"Huh?  Ready for what?" Goku thought outloud, looking at her puzzled.

"Are you ready to go back to Earth, you nimrod?!" she demanded, quite pissed now.

"Oh, yeah!  I'm ready!" he yelled and looked down at King Kai.

"Take care Goku," King Kai replied, extending his hand to the dead warrior.

"Aww, thanks King Kai!" Goku chimed and slapped him on the back, sending King Kai flying around Grand Kai's planet.  He soon landed, only his feet above the ground from where he fell head -first in front of Olibu.  

"Gracious King Kai!" he exclaimed, "What in the Outer World are you trying to do?"  King Kai struggled to get himself out while he heard a familiar mocking voice.

"Ha-ha!  Look at North Kai!  He can't even fly!!  Ha-ha!" West Kai taunted, almost falling to the ground laughing.  Paikuhan looked on in embarrassment and disgust.

_"How humiliating,"_ he thought in his head.

"Alright Goku, let's go," Baba replied, her magic crystal ball glowing an eerie neon green.  Before Goku could blink, he was standing on Kami's lookout.  "Listen Goku, you only have one month," Baba said before vanishing.

"Bye Baba!" he yelled and turned to look down at the Earth.  _"Well, Chi-Chi, I'm home baby!" _he thought before flying down.  It seem like only yesterday Goku was flying down this palace with his son, preparing to defeat Cell, somehow he knew he wouldn't be going back, but now, he was flying down to visit his wife and kid, to truly say goodbye.  


	2. Sweat, Blood, and Tears

Author's Notes: How has Goku's death *really* affected his family?  How will Chi-Chi really react with Goku coming back, knowing that he has to leave again?  Will there be a great reunion scene with everyone?  And will I stop with these inane questions?  No, I'll just get bored and stop typing them and just bug my mom with them.  Enjoy! 

**Coming Back Home**

Chapter Two: Sweat, Blood, and Tears 

He flew off to the end of the forest surrounding and soon came across Chi-Chi crouching down on the ground, her hands burying her face, upset.  "Chi-Chi?" he whispered, coming nearer to her, worried and concern.  However, she didn't seem to hear him.  

"Oh Goku," she sobbed, "I miss you so much!  It's been so hard since you've been gone!  I can't bare to even look at Gohan hardly, he's just like you!"  Tears poured out from her ash black eyes, making Goku almost cry too.  She looked tired, like she hadn't slept for over a week, and she was growing thin.  "I, I just can't take this anymore Goku!  I want to be with you!" Something gleamed in her hand, and Goku, appalled, gasped at what he saw, a dagger.  "I can't take it anymore, I'm going to end this!  Gohan and Goten deserve so much better than this!  I'll be seeing you soon my love."  The tears almost dry on her face, she held the dagger close to her chest when someone came running up the hill.

"CHI-CHI STOP!!!!!" Yamcha yelled at the top of his lungs, coming to her side. "Give me that!" he snapped and snatched the weapon from her, his blood dotting on its once spotless blade.  With a small squeeze, it shattered in Yamcha's hand, which was now slowly oozing blood that was trickling down to the ground.  "What the hell are you trying to do?!" he demanded.  Chi-Chi, though half scare and still grief stricken, stood up to him, tears still flowing.  

"What do you think?!" she cried.

"Do you honestly think that this is what Goku wants?!!  Or that this is what Gohan really needs now?!!  A dead mother now that his dad has died and can't come back?!!  Do you really think that Gohan and Goten really deserve this?!!!" Yamcha demanded.

"I.. I miss him!!" she wailed.  Yamcha looked at her, tears now steaming down his eyes too, and grabbed her by the shoulders. 

"I miss him too, but this is not the way to handle it.  I know no one can be hurting more than you and Gohan, but I know what it feels like to lose the most important person to you.  You're stronger than that Chi-Chi.  You have to be strong.  For you.  For Goku.  For Gohan and for…Goten.  He needs you more than anyone else.  C'mon I'll take you home," he replied and led Chi-Chi to his car.  

Goku just stood there, motionless at the scene he saw.  Tears flowed uncontrollably at the sight of how much pain Chi-Chi was in because of him.  After a while, he gave a small smile and decided maybe he should visit Gohan and see how he was doing .  Maybe Gohan could tell him who Goten was.  Maybe he was a pet Chi-Chi or Gohan got after the Cell Games.  "Time to go home," he whispered and did instant transmission to his home.

"Hi Mom," Gohan chimed as Chi-Chi walked through the door, and Chi-Chi smiled at him.

"Hello Gohan.  Shouldn't you be studying?" she sneered, making Gohan somewhat squeamish.

"Yes ma'm," Gohan quickly chimed and took off for his room in a hurry.  Chi-Chi chuckled lightly and went to go check on Goten.  He was asleep, and she sighed in relief.  She hadn't had a decent night sleep since the Cell Games, and poor Goten had been crying almost nonstop for the past two weeks.  

Goku teleported into the hallway as soon as Chi-Chi started cooking.  _"Mmmm!…"_ he thought, _"That smells good!  Chi-Chi's really outdone herself this time!  I can hardly wait to eat it!  Now off to see Gohan…"  _

He walked towards his son's room when he heard Gohan humming.  "When did Gohan start humming?"  

Walking on his tiptoes, Goku crept into Gohan's room.  He was humming a tune that Goku only heard it once when Gohan was "studying" and was singing a song about Piccolo.  Trying his best not to laugh, Goku walked closer to Gohan.  "HEY SON!!!!" he called, slapping Gohan's back, but his hand slid through him.  "What the…?" he thought puzzled, staring at his hand.  Then, Gohan began to talk.

"Dad," he talked to himself outloud, "man, I wish you were here."  He looked up at the ceiling, put his arms behind his head, and balanced his pencil on the curve of his tiny nose.

"But I am here!!" Goku yelled, waving his arms about, standing in front of Gohan.  "Can't you see me?!!"  However, Gohan paid him no mind and continued to think to himself outloud.

"Me and Mom miss you so much!  I think Goten does too.  He keeps crying whenever we mention you.  But I'm most worried about Mom; she's almost committed suicide once since the Cell Games," he continued.  Goku stood there in horror, speechless at what his sacrifice had done to his family.  

But why couldn't Gohan or Chi-Chi see, sense, or hear him?  It didn't make any sense whatsoever.  

Then, it hit him.  He remembered what Baba had told him right before he came back to Earth, something he should have paid more heed to…

_"Look Goku, if you do this, no one will be able to see you, hear you, touch you, or be able to sense your ki.  This might be harder on you than just staying here.  Now remember, you mustn't do anything to disturb them, or you might be sent to Hell for it.  Are you sure you still want to do this?"_ _Baba explained._

Goku shook the memory from his mind.  How could he be such an idiot?  The whole point of coming here was to say goodbye to everyone, and now, no one would be able to hear that or tell him the same or reassure him about what he did during the Cell Games was the right thing to do.  He almost began to cry at the dire situation; this was a worst fate than just being stuck in the Other World and not being able to see them at all.  A sniffle from his son broke his thoughts, and Goku looked at him carefully.  Gohan wiped away a tear from his eye and leaned back further in his chair.          

"Dad…I'm so sorry Dad that I didn't listen to you," Gohan whispered, trying his best not to cry.  "I just want you home Dad, I miss you too much…" he continued until he leaned back too far in his chair, and it fell down to the floor, making Gohan hit his head on the wooden floor hard.  "OW!!" he cried, rubbing the back of his head.  Goku gasped and rushed over.

"Daddy's here Gohan!" Goku yelled and tried to hug his son, but his arms just slid through and touched themselves.  He shook his head sadly, and just stared at Gohan, unsure of what to do.  He slowly got up and put his chair back up and sluggishly left the room.  

Goku got up and looked at his desk.  On top, there was a stack of notebook paper, two pencils, and an algebra book_.  "What did Baba mean when she said I 'mustn't do anything to disturb them'?" he thought as his hand glided along the desktop.  _"It's not as if I could pick something up or anything," _he continued as he tried to prove his point by reaching for the writing utensil.  However, instead his hand just sliding through it, he was able to grasp it and pick up.  "ACKK!" he screamed, almost dropping it.  _

Then he fully understood Baba's warning.  While he could not touch humans, he could touch inanimate objects.  And with that now cleared, Goku began to write.  After a few moments of writing, he finished and thought about who he should visit next.  _"Let's see…there's Krillin, Tien, Master Roshi, Yamcha, Bulma, Vegeta, and Piccolo…hmm….I guess I'll visit Krillin now," _he thought and performed the famous instant transmission.  Just then, Gohan came into the room, carrying Goten in his arms.

"It's okay Goten!  Please stop crying!" Gohan begged and placed his tiny brother in his crib.  Goten continued to cry, but Gohan didn't pay it any mind, and he glanced around his room.  _"Someone was here," he thought, but he couldn't think of who.  There was no one in the room earlier except for him; who else could have been in here?  After thinking about it another second, he shrugged it off.  "Must of just imagined it!" he laughed softly._


	3. I Will Remember You, Will You Remember M...

**A/N: **Hi everyone!  So, here's another chapter!  I'm glad that the first two chapters were good.  However, I'm going to have to change this story a little bit… Don't worry; I won't discontinue it; I WILL one day have finished this.  It's just I can't really think of that many more ideas for this one, so it's just going to be one month, and I'm not going to do everyday, it would get old fast if I did.  I have the ending planned out for this one, and you're most likely going to need a tissue for that.  Well, please read and review and tell me how you liked this (or not), or if you have any ideas, feel free to type those up too.  Thanks, and have a nice day!

**Chapter Three: I Will Remember You, Will You Remember Me?**

He was in Krillin's apartment now, and Goku stretched out his arms.  It had been so long since he had been here last, he looked around for a few moments.  Krillin had really redecorated a lot; he got a new couch, loveseat set, and a coffee table, as well as repainted the living room.  Goku picked up a new recent picture of him and 18.  _"Hot dog!" Goku thought, _"Krillin's got a girlfriend!"_  Just then, the door opened, and the sound of laughter filled what was once the vacant room.  He spun around and saw Krillin with 18.               _

"Then, (laugh) Goku…he, he came back by spinning his tail around in the air like a helicopter!!" Krillin chuckled, his cheeks getting scarlet from laughing so hard.  18 joined in laughing with him, and looked at him with her eyebrow cocked at him.

"You're…you're kidding right??  I don't believe it!!  _That was the mighty Goku _I_ was supposed to kill?!" 18 cried, and Krillin led her to the couch.  "Thanks for dinner Krillin, it was fabulous!" she replied, and she motioned Krillin beside her.  He blushed for a moment, scratch the back of his head, and sluggishly sat next to her.  Goku smiled at his friend's luck and fortune._

_"I should get going,"_ Goku thought, _"they need some time alone."  With that, he once again did instant transmission to Master Roshi's.  _

"Doesn't Goku have a son?" 18 asked, and Krillin gave a slight nod.

"He has two."  

"Two?  I know one is Gohan, but who's the other?" 18 asked puzzled.

"His name is Goten, he was born the day of the Cell Games."  He was so thankful that 18 had a good memory, unlike some blue-haired ditzs he had dated earlier in his life.  

"Did he ever get to see him?" 18 gently asked, and Krillin shook his head heavily.  "How sad," she began, "he died to protect his loved ones, and one that might've loved him the most is the one he'll never get to see…."  Krillin nodded, and they gently held hands for a moment.

Goku stood on the shore, looking at the Kame House and smelling the ocean.  It had felt like it had been so long since he last saw and smelled the ocean.  Everything was still there as before, and Goku was glad to know at least one thing didn't change since the Cell Games.  After taking one more sniff of the ocean, he walked inside.

Magazines and clothes were scattered all over the floor and furniture.  _"Boy,"_ Goku thought, _"the Kame House has sure gotten messy since Launch left."_  The TV was left on, some dirty channel that Roshi and Oolong always watched, and the lights were on too.  Suddenly, to his left, Goku saw something flicker.  He turned his head and saw Oolong jumping up and down with excitement.  

"Master Roshi!  Master Roshi!  Come quick!  I've found it!" Oolong yelled, and as fast as he could on his old legs and cane, Master Roshi ran down the stairs.

"Well, what're ya waitin' for?!  Plop it in, you worthless bacon!" Master Roshi snapped and sat down on the couch.  Oolong grumbled a complaint and stuck the tape in.  

_"What could this be?"_ Goku thought and crept over to see the TV screen.  Instead of seeing some dirty porn movie, it was of the gang at Capsule Corp for some party.  

At first, it showed Yamcha, who then had his long hair, and Tien, with Launch standing behind him making goo-goo eyes at him, playing poker, and Yamcha lost.  "Aw, man!" he whined and toss his cards across the table and paid Tien a 5.  Then, Yamcha turned and saw the camera and smiled evilly.  "Bulma," he growled in a joking voice, "get that thing outta my face!"  A few laughs came from Bulma, and she moved on and filmed Tien for a few seconds as he kissed Launch.

"HEY!" Tien cried, and Launch giggled.  

"Got ya!  Got ya!" Bulma laughed in a high-pitched voice.  She swung the camera away though before Tien could destroy it and focused in on little, tiny Goku playing Rock, Paper, Scissors with Krillin.  

"One, two, three!!" they yelled, both pulling out scissors.  They did it three more times, and Goku finally won with rock.  

"Awww, how cute!" Bulma chimed, and the two young warriors looked up, waved, smiled, and began making faces into the camera.  

"I'm a TV star!" Krillin laughed and began doing acrobats.  Goku began to some too until he accidentally tripped up Krillin with his foot when Goku fell from doing a headstand and Krillin was doing cartwheels.  

"Sorry Krillin!" Goku apologized, and Krillin began chasing him all over the yard with a broom.

"Get back here Goku!!  You did that on purpose!!!" Krillin cried, waving the broom in the air menacingly.  

"Silly boys," Bulma giggled and moved the camera to follow them.  "OK you two!!  Stop that now!!!"  The two little tikes continued running.  "OK, STOP IT RIGHT NOW!!!!" Bulma roared, and everyone stood still and stared at her.  "OK, let's continue on with the party!!"  Goku looked up at her puzzled.

"What party?" he asked, and everyone yelled at Bulma annoyingly.  

"BULMA!!!!  YOU WEREN'T SUPPOSED TO SAY ANYTHING!!!" they complained, and Bulma gnashed her teeth in embarrassment and nervousness. 

"Oops!" she squeaked.

"What party?" Goku asked again.  They sat him at a table, and Bulma's parents brought out the biggest chocolate cake anyone had ever seen.  

"Well, yours silly!" they answered, and Goku stared at them puzzled.  

"But I don't know when I was born," he protested.  Yamcha laughed and ruffled his hair a bit; Krillin jumped up and sat down next to him; Launch lit the candles; and Bulma handed the camera to her mom.  

"We know that, _but_ this _is the __exact day we first met three years ago, so, we'll use this," Bulma explained.  "Now, where were we?"  Then the gang smiled and began singing "Happy Birthday."  Goku blew out all the candles, and the crowd cheered.                                 _

He began to open up some presents, but soon the tape stopped.  Goku snapped back into the present and away from the memory of his childhood and looked at his old master.  There were tears streaming from under his sunglasses, and Oolong was crying too.  "Guys…what did I do?" he whispered softly, slowly sinking to the ground.  He held his head in his hands, shaking it continuously.  Did he do the wrong thing?  The thought kept pounding in his head, almost to the point where it was driving him insane.  Seeing nothing else that he could do, he slowly walked out of Kame House and teleported to Yamcha's apartment. 


	4. How Much Heartbreak Can One Man Take?

Author's Notes: Hey everyone!  Can I say I'm sorry enough?  *hears many people scream NO!*  Ouie!  I'm sorry!  I really am!  It took me MUCH longer than I thought it would to type this!  I'm also sorry that this is short.  Although, I'm not sure if I said this or not, so if I did, here it is again, and if I didn't, well, now you know.  I'm shortening the time in this fic from one month to one week.  The reasons being: 1) If I wrote what happened everyday for 30 days, it would get old quick.  2) It would also drag this fic out longer, and I think it's already dragging enough.  3) As much as it pains me to say it, I've lost inspiration for this fic.  I'm running out of ideas.  I know what's going to happen the next chapter and the last chapter, but rather than that, nothing.  I will not abandon this fic though; I WILL finish it.  Sorry for the long Author's Note, but I felt that this had to be said.  Thank you for bearing with me, and I hope this chapter was worth the wait. 

**Disclaimer:** Holy s#%&!  I forgot to do the disclaimer, didn't I??  Jeez, what a baka am I!  Ouie!  Well, I don't own DBZ.  Glad we got that out of the way.  Don't sue!  ^.^;;

Coming Back Home Chapter Four: How Much Heartache Can One Poor Man Take? 

Goku reappeared in the living room of Yamcha's messy apartment.  Hm, well at least that was another thing that hadn't changed.  Clothes were flung all over the room as well as papers.  Goku bent down and picked up one of the sheets and saw that it was a bill. 

_"Man, Yamcha sure does have high electricity bills…I wonder why?"_ Goku thought.  He heard the sound of a TV going and could've sworn he heard a sniffle.  Curious, almost too curious for his own good, he followed the noise to Yamcha's bedroom.  And what he saw made him gasp in horror and shock.

Yamcha was sitting in a chair, although he could hardly tell it was his ex-bandit friend except for the scars.  His hair was ruffled and sticking out everywhere more than usual, and Goku could swear that he had a stubble on his chin, a faint one but one nonetheless.  His clothes were wrinkled, and it looked like he had been living in them for months.  His eyes were swollen and red, as if he had been crying.  Why didn't he noticed any of this earlier?               

He took a step closer and almost jumped back and winced when he heard Yamcha hiccuped, then sniffle again.  Goku looked closer and saw him holding a beer bottle, half empty, and before Goku could do anything else, Yamcha quickly downed it, then tossed it aside, missing the trash can but not caring all the same.  

"Yamcha?" Goku whispered, but of course, he couldn't hear him.  The Saiyan frowned at the sad state his friend was in and became even sadder, realizing there was nothing he could do to help.  At least when he was alive, he could pat his shoulder and attempt to cheer him up.  He let his eyes trail over to the TV, which was also playing some kind of a home movie that had him in it.  In fact…it looked like one from one of the tournaments.  

_"Where did Yamcha get that?"_ he thought puzzled.  He thought only Bulma had them.  Then again, he probably asked Bulma if he could borrow it from her.  After all, he knew that the two were still friends, even though she dumped him for Vegeta.  

"G…Goku!…" Yamcha sobbed, before holding his head in his hands and began crying again.  His best friend, his best friend in the whole world, and he was gone.  Gone.  Poof. He could never come back.  And knowing that was painful enough.  But now…who was he going to talk to when he had problems?  He had always come to the kind Saiyan for advice and was the only one he talked about his break-up with Bulma to before the Cell Games.  

The pain was unbearable for both men.  For Yamcha, it was the lost of the little brother he never had and the lost of a close friend.  For Goku, it was seeing his friend in pain and knowing _he_ had caused it and for not knowing how to fix it.  Finally, Yamcha cried himself to sleep, and Puar came quietly flying into the room.

"Oh Yamcha…" the cat whispered softly and sadly, "Not again…"  With that said, Puar helped Yamcha into bed and tucked him in and turned off the TV before silently leaving for the living room.  However, Goku didn't leave.  He didn't want to.  Instead, he pulled up Yamcha's chair and sat down, facing Yamcha.

"It's okay friend…I'm still here…" he murmured, watching over his sleeping friend. 


	5. An Apple a Day, Keeps the Angst Away

Author's Notes: Hey, it's me again, finally.  I'm sorry for updating so late.  I've had a lot of stuff on my plate of life lately, and it seems every time I clean it off, someone decides to give me an extra helping of things.  XP  And right now, I have a BIG side order of Summer Work for school (AP English and AP Government).  I'm going to try to finish this fic before summer is through, but I can't guarantee that, no matter how much I would like to.  However, I can guarantee that I'll update at least ONCE in July.  Well, with that said, I'm going to leave now.  Man, though, this has to be my longest chappie so far.  Let me know what ya think. Disclaimer: I do not own DBZ or any of its characters, plots, etc… Coming Back Home Chapter Five: An Apple a Day Keeps Angst Away…Not! 

Goku woke up slowly, having fallen asleep on the chair during the night.  He yawned loudly, his eyes shut as he stretched his arms up towards the ceiling.  Having fully woken up, he opened his eyes and looked down at his still slumbering friend.  A small smile on his face, Goku put the chair back and took one more glance at his friend.  "Take care Yamcha; I'll come see ya again," he whispered before teleporting and vanishing into thin air, leaving no trace of his visit behind. 

Yamcha slowly stirred after Goku left, his eyes opening slightly as he groaned from the large headache forming due to his drinking the night before.  "Goku…" he mumbled as he slowly sat up and looked to his side, only to find nothing there.  He frowned from the massive headache (Yeah!  That's what you get for drinking! V:WP), and confusion.  He could've sworn it felt like someone was watching over him.  With a heavy sigh, he slowly shook his head.  "I've been drinking too much…"

A couple of moments later, Goku found himself standing on top of Kami's Lookout.  Well, he guessed he should call it Dende's Lookout since Dende was the new Earth's Guardian, but it just didn't seem right.  Deep down, Kami was still the Earth's Guardian to him.  He missed the old kind Namekian, but now wasn't a time to dwell on that.  Sensing three familiar kis, he began walking inside the sanctuary, and he stopped when he saw them.

"But I failed!" Dende whined, sitting down on a chair, looking up at Piccolo and Mr. Popo.  "I should have been able to do SOMETHING to prevent this, and now, Goku is dead because of it!"

"No, Dende!  It wasn't!" Goku futilely argued.  "Why would YOU think that?!" 

And Piccolo and Mr. Popo agreed.

"Don't be silly Dende; you did nothing but help Goku and the others," Mr. Popo tried to reassure him to no avail.

"Help?  I did NOTHING!  As Guardian of this planet, I should have been able to do something to warn or to solve that problem, but I didn't do anything, and because of that, I got Goku killed and have made everyone else suffer for it!"

"Now listen here Dende," Piccolo began in his low, gruff voice.  "There wasn't anything you could have done to prevent that.  What happened was always meant to happen, and there's nothing you can do to change it.  As tragic as it is, Goku was meant to die during the Cell Games in order to help Gohan beat him.  There wasn't anything you or I could have done to change that."  He folded his arms as he continued to look at the young Namekian.  "Understand?"  Dende nodded.  "Good." 

Dende looked down.  "But…"

"NO buts!" Piccolo snapped, glaring at him now, getting quite annoyed and worried with the young Namekian's "guilt" over the situation.  "Now, I don't want to hear any more of this, understand?"  Dende looked up at him and nodded.  With a gruff "good", Piccolo turned on his heel and walked over, his cape blowing behind him.  Once he disappeared from sight, Dende sighed heavily.

"Come on, Dende," Mr. Popo said gently, like a grandfather would to his grandson, patting the young guardian's shoulder.  "Let's get you something to eat."

"Okay," Dende answered softly and got up and allowed Mr. Popo to lead him to the upper deck to one of the tables.

Goku's stomach rumbled at the mention of food.  Come to think of it, he hadn't eaten since that morning before the Cell Games.  Sure, he was dead, but that didn't change the fact that he missed eating food.  Maybe eating something yummy would not only help him feel more at home but maybe it would also make him feel better.  He had heard from Chi-Chi and Bulma that eating "comfort foods" could even out some rough edges in your life.  Besides, Mr. Popo was a great cook, and Goku was in the mood for good food! (Aren't we all? X:WP)  That just left one problem…  How was he going to eat the food without Mr. Popo or Dende seeing him?

This was a tough problem.  Well, at least it was a tough one for a Saiyan who not only was naïve as a three-year old, but also one with the IQ of a sixth-grader.  (I do not mean to insult ANYONE who is/was in the sixth-grade.  It's just that Goku's supposed to be a man in his 40's…not 12. X:WP)  Patience was never a great virtue with Saiyans, and to sit there and wait for Dende to look away for a moment to take something from his plate or for Dende to leave to grab something would be EXTREMELY difficult, and he might not be able to control himself in his hungered state.  What if he took some of his food, and Dende noticed him?  Would they really send him to Hell for just taking an apple?  He didn't think King Yemma would, but Baba sounded like it could be pretty serious.  It sounded like if he did ANYTHING, he would be on a one-way trip there. 

Wait, Dende would be in the upper deck, but who said he was going to be in the KITCHEN?…  A smile finally found its place on Goku's face, and he followed his friends up the stairs to the appointed eating place. 

Once Mr. Popo had settled Dende down, he turned and made his way to the kitchen, with Goku unknowingly following right behind him.  Mr. Popo paused momentarily outside the doorway of the kitchen and looked over his shoulder, narrowing his eyes, as if he was searching for something.  He knew it sounded crazy, but it felt like someone was following him.  He didn't sense anyone's ki, but it was just that gut feeling deep down that one got.  However, not seeing anything, he merely shrugged and went on inside.  Goku sighed in relief, afraid there for a moment that Mr. Popo somehow saw him standing right behind him and ventured into the kitchen as well.

It was larger than he remembered.  The large room was filled with cabinets, barrels, crates, jars, a massive stove and oven, a ten-foot long freezer, a larger-than-life refrigerator.  All of which was crammed with food.  It was enough to make a Saiyan fall down and cry and yell that there was a Heaven…or at least keep their stomachs filled until the next day. 

Painfully, Goku watched as Mr. Popo prepared Dende what looked like a measly but tasty lunch, in Goku's eyes.  There was food right in front of him, and he couldn't take even a single tiny little bite.  Then, it seemed like Mr. Popo was taking his precious time in making it, almost as if he was trying to let a snail or a turtle beat him in a race.  When he finally left, Goku took a deep sigh in relief and began poking around, seeing what he wanted to eat.  He saw a barrel filled with mouthwatering, red apples, and he grabbed a large one and took a huge bite of it.

He stood there, chewing the apple, as a memory came to him.  He remembered the first time Gohan had an apple; it was when he first began to use his teeth, and Goku and Chi-Chi were so proud of him.  A feeling of sadness tugged at his heart as he took another bite, this time remembering a time him and Krillin were eating apples, just hanging out and eating.  The sad feeling grew, and he finished off eating the apple, and opened the fridge to get something else; maybe he'd feel better then.

This time, he grabbed a large turkey leg.  Now, since it was in a fridge, it was cold, and normally people wouldn't eat theirs right out of the fridge for this reason, or they would go to the microwave to heat it up.  But to a Saiyan with the ability to manipulate ki, this was no problem.  He just raised the ki around his hand, heating up the meat until it was warm enough for him to enjoy.  Goku licked his lips and took a large bite, almost devouring half the leg in a single bite.  Again, a memory popped into his mind: He was in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber with Gohan, training for the Cell Games, and he asked Gohan to cook a piece of meat for him with a ki blast.  His son had brunt it, but it was good for a laugh, a good time with his son.  He also remembered how during that their training, Gohan once called him the "best dad in the world."  It also brought tears to Goku's eyes as he took another bite, polishing off the turkey leg and throwing the bone away in a trash can. 

There had to be something here he could eat to cheer him up.  How about rice?  Rice, yes, that's it!  Rice was not only good for you and very filling, or more filling than other foods, but it also didn't have a really vibrant taste.  All the other things he had eaten were VERY distinctive by taste, but rice just tasted like, well…rice.  It wasn't THAT flavorful.  With that in mind, he boiled a pot filled with rice and got a couple of chop sticks and went to town with it, not even bothering to put the rice in an actual bowl first.  Why would he do that?  He was just going to eat the whole thing anyways; it was a waste of time.  However, rice didn't seem to have the wonderful effect he thought it would have…

As soon as the first grain of rice touched his tongue, his mind automatically registered that this wasn't very tasty…and it also reminded him of how good Chi-Chi cooked her rice.  She would slowly cook it, to make sure that every grain was moist and soft, and she would add all sorts of spices to hers, not just salt and pepper either.  Usually, she would mix in chicken or beef with it also, to give it more flavor, and then many vegetables, to make sure her boys got all the vitamins they needed.  Chi-Chi always cooked so wonderfully for them, making sure that they would enjoy every meal; she cooked it with love.  She always took such good care of them; she loved them so much… Chi-Chi… 

A tear slowly slid down Goku's cheek as he thought of his loving wife and his caring friends and his great son.  He had caused them so much pain, and he wished there was something he could do to ease the pain, or to rid himself of the pain he felt when he saw them hurt.  It was almost too unbearable to watch them.  Desperate to forget his sorrows, he began to eat other things, hoping to find one that wouldn't make him sad.

Goku wasn't sure how long he was in there, but the next thing he knew, Mr. Popo could be heard, walking towards the kitchen.  His eyes shot up with shock, and he felt like he had to get out of there before he caught him, forgetting the fact that he was only a spirit.  So, he put his two fingers to his forehead and teleported out of there. 

Mr. Popo walked into the doorway of the kitchen and stopped dead in his tracks, gasping in horror, his eyes wide in shock.  He knew he didn't leave the kitchen in this condition yesterday.  Barrels and crates that were filled with food were turned over and empty.  Cabinet doors were left open, most of the food from there gone as well.  The freezer was left open, a pot was on the stove, and other cookware laid about the place.  It was an absolute mess!  What happened here?  Where did all the food go?

"What a rat problem we have!" he exclaimed.  "I'd better go tell Piccolo!"  With that said, he left to go informed the mentioned Namekian.


	6. Two's a Crowd, But Three's a Nosy Neighb...

Author's Notes: Hi everyone! I know, I know, I know I said I was going to try and finish this before the end of summer, but I had to get my schoolwork done, otherwise, I would be failing English right now. No offense, but my schoolwork comes first, because if I start failing a class, my mom will take away the computer. So failing classes no computer no fics. I'm glad you enjoyed the last chapter, and I hope this one is good as well. Please read and review. Also, please remember, I'm just a fan writing a fanfic. I do not own DBZ. Thanks!

**Chapter Six: Two's a Crowd, But Three's a Nosy Neighbor **

"Piccolo! Piccolo!" Mr. Popo called, running over to the green-skinned warrior. Lazily and aggravated that someone was interrupting his meditation, Piccolo opened an eye and looked over to his side to the man.

"What is it, Mr. Popo?" he asked in his usual gruff-sounding voice.

"We have rats!" he exclaimed.

"Rats? Are you sure?" Mr. Popo nodded, and Piccolo stopped levitating and landed on the ground and looked down at him. "Mr. Popo, we're up miles into the sky…" Mr. Popo nodded again. "How could a rat have gotten here?" He had the man stumped there. "There are no rats, Mr. Popo."

"But how do you explain this, then?" he asked, having dragged Piccolo over to the kitchen.

Piccolo's eyes widen slightly momentarily from shock as he looked at the ransacked room. Almost all the food in there was gone. But, how was that possible? It was completely filled yesterday. It was almost as if…No, it couldn't be. He turned away and began to walk away, not even bothering to answer Mr. Popo's question.

_"It's almost as if a Saiyan went on a feeding spree in there…"_ he thought. But that was impossible; there was only one Saiyan left on this planet, and Vegeta hardly ate. And if it was Gohan, he would have felt his ki, but he didn't feel _anyone's_ ki. It didn't make any sense… Oh well. He shrugged it off, went back to his spot, and began to meditate once more.

Goku looked around the mountains and took a big whiff of the fresh mountain air. Ah, did it feel good up here. Since it was past noon, it wasn't too cool, and the view was simply fantastic. Of course, that wasn't the only reason he came here. He turned to his right and smiled when he saw a small cabin and felt the two familiar kis in there. Not wanting to cause suspicion by opening the door and not wanting to use the instant transmission again, he went through an open window.

"…that's good, Chaotzu," Tien commented as Goku stepped in. The tiny clown-like emperor turned to his friend and smiled.

"Thanks, Tien," he responded. Using his telekinetic powers, Chaotzu moved the fried ham that he had cooked over to the plates on the table.

_"Ah, so it's suppertime!"_ Goku thought, watching them. Sure, he wasn't hungry, but that didn't mean he had to go. The aromas were warm and inviting, and it had been awhile since he was in a calm setting with his friends. He sat down on the window still and made himself comfortable as he watched Tien and Chaotzu enjoy their dinner. As they ate their dinner, they causally talked about Tien's training, a martial arts tournament that was coming up, Bulma's upcoming wedding to Vegeta, and finally the subject trailed to Goku's death.

Tien looked down at his mug of coffee, a sadden expression on his face. Chaotzu frowned, seeing his friend upset. For a moment, neither spoke, and Goku watched mournfully, sorry he had caused them pain. Had his choice hurt everyone this badly? He wanted nothing more than be able to pat his friend on the back and try to cheer him up, but he couldn't. All he could do was sit there. Finally, Chaotzu spoke up.

"Tien?" he asked.

"Yeah?" Tien responded, looking up.

"Goku was a great person and a great friend," Chaotzu commented.

"Yes…Yes he was…" Tien agreed and looked down once more.

"He's up in Heaven, watching us…He wouldn't want us to be sad," he finished, his own voice almost having a sad tone to it. Tien looked up and smirked tiredly at his companion.

"You're right, Chaotzu. He wouldn't."

"That's right," Goku whispered, though he knew neither of them could hear him. "I wouldn't." He still sat there, watching the scene intently. Maybe Chaotzu's words would bring back the happy, homey environment the place was filled with before the mention of Goku's death.

"Oh!" Chaotzu suddenly said. "I almost forgot! You got a letter today, Tien!" Using his powers once more, he moved the letter from the counter over to Tien. The three-eyed man carefully took it and opened it. "Who's it from, Tien?" Chaotzu asked.

He blinked and waited a moment, scanning over the letter before answering. "It's from Launch," he answered, and a faint blush began to form on his cheeks as he kept reading the letter.

Goku smiled at his two friends. _"Well,"_ he thought, _"this is where I go."_ With that said, he put two fingers to his forehead and vanished.


	7. I'm Still Here For You

Videl Warrior Princess: Hey guys! Well, I wanted to write a short G/CC moment in here, and this has been an idea I've been wanting to write for awhile. Hope you guys enjoy it! Happy Turkey Day folks! Oh, I don't own DBZ! Now R&R! 

**Chapter Seven: I'm Still Here for You **

Chi-Chi closed the door to her sons' bedroom and slowly walked to their…her room. She sighed sadly and fought back the coming onslaught of tears. She couldn't get used to that thought. Goku was gone, never to come back. Deep down, she didn't want to believe it. She wouldn't allow herself to accept that fact; if she did, she would be empty again like she was two days ago. It was so unbearable.

Quietly, she went inside the dark room and locked the door. Her dark, watery eyes scanned the across the room, only to find nothing there but blank darkness that had crept through the window. She leaned back against the door, using it to support herself as she struggled to remain firm. But slowly, the hollowness that she had been feeling all day was fading away and replacing itself with the sharp pain of loss.

It was dead silent in her room; it had NEVER been this quiet before. Even when Goku was dead the first time… Tears stung her eyes as she remembered that day. It wasn't like this was. Not by a long shot. Deep down, on that day, she was relieved. She knew he was going to come back…unlike now.

Another knife stabbed itself in her shattering heart, and a soft whimper of pain escaped her lips. It was getting harder to fight. Slowly, she walked in the darkness over to her vanity and removed her earrings and pins from her hair as she let it down, frowning as she saw the faint outline of her reflection in the mirror. The darkness suited her just fine; it was an accurate impression of herself at the moment, so dark, so filled with misery and sorrow and despair. She tried to keep her spirits up, she really tried, but it was just no use.

Her eyes fell down on her hands resting on the dresser, and she saw a knife's blade gleaming in the moonlight. Carefully, her fingers lightly traced the outline of the sharp blade, letting the tingle from the touch of the cool metal go through her body. Finally, she snapped herself out of the trance and drew her hands back. Goten and Gohan needed her, she couldn't abandon them.

She slipped off her boots and her socks and removed her scarf, folding it neatly on the dresser before climbing into bed. The sight of no one there on his side of the bed was unbearable, and she turned onto her side, keeping her back to his side. Chi-Chi held herself and let out a couple of miffled sobs as clear, hot tears began to fall from her shut eyes and slid down her pale cheeks. Her tears had to be shed quietly; she couldn't wail out in sorrow and in pain as she wanted, for it would wake Gohan and Goten. She had to be strong for those two… She had to be…strong…

"Goku… Oh, Goku!… Goku, where are you?" she sobbed, her tears falling quicker as her shoulders now shook. "Goku, I…I need you Goku!… I'm not strong… I'm not strong… Goku…" Finally the tears took complete control, and she began weeping heavily, letting out all her pain and sadness in these tears.

Goku appeared in his bedroom and gaped in horror, seeing his beloved wife weeping over his death. "Chi-Chi!" he cried and climbed onto the bed quickly. She was so engrossed in her tears, that she didn't pay attention to the noticeable shift in the bed and continued crying. Goku tried to embrace her repeatedly, but each time, he just went through her. He desperately wanted to comfort his wife, but he couldn't. He sat there on his knees, looking down at her helplessly, and began to cry himself.

"_Oh, Chi-Chi, I want to hold you!"_ he thought mournfully, and finally, an idea came to him.

Chi-Chi gasped out from, feeling the blanket suddenly cover her and feeling a arm press down upon it, as if it was embracing her. She looked over but saw nothing, yet she could feel it. Her mind raced with confusion as her heart beat wildly. "Goku?" she asked, her voice hopeful. "Is that you?"

"Yes! Yes, it's me, honey!" he screamed, but of course, she couldn't hear him.

She swallowed hard and decided to try again. "Goku, are you here?" However, silence was her only answer once more. Her instinct was to panic from fear of this unknown presence, but she took another second to think. Despite the circumstance, she felt warm and safe inside, and she knew that feeling only came from one person: Goku. She relaxed and laid down comfortably on the bed, a small smile now on her tear-stained face.

"_Oh Goku… It IS you…"_ she thought, now sighing in relief, a faint smile still on her face as she closed her eyes.

Goku continued holding his wife and rested his head on the pillow next to hers, a smile now on his face as well. Soon, in his comforting embrace, Chi-Chi fell asleep, and Goku welcomed the chance to watch his beloved wife sleep and look peaceful. As if having read her last thought, he leaned over to whisper in her ear.

"That's right Chi-Chi, I'm here for you… And I'll ALWAYS be here for you…"


	8. One More Time

**A/N:** Let me first apologize to all of my readers out there. I had no idea it had been so long since I've last updated. I'm terribly sorry. I wrote this chapter a few months ago, and I thought I uploaded it on but it appears I haven't. So, let me just say it again: I'm sorry. Hopefully, this will have been worth the wait; this is the longest chapter in the fic thus far (I believe), and I'm quite proud with the way it turned out. I'm almost done with the next chapter, and we're almost coming to an end with CBH. I hope you all with forgive me for taking so long. Enjoy! 

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the anime, manga, etc. of _Dragon Ball Z_; I am just a fan writing this fanfic for my own amusement.

**Coming Back Home**

**Chapter Eight: One More Time**

Goku had actually fallen asleep during the night, and when he awoke, the sun's first rays were shining in through the window. He smiled down at his sleeping wife, and tried to kiss her, but as usual, he went through her. However, he didn't feel as upset. Well, he had to check up on the others, so if he was going to leave, now was a good time to do it. With another whispered farewell to her, he put his fingers to his forehead and vanished.

Within a couple of moments, Chi-Chi slowly stirred awake, stretching her body before propping herself up on her shoulders. She blinked as the harsh sunlight flooded her eyes, almost blinding her temporarily. "It's morning already?…" she mumbled before yawning softly. She looked over her side and frowned when once again she found it empty. However, her frown this time wasn't just because of sorrow…but also confusion.

"_I could have sworn Goku was right here…"_ she thought. "_I…I thought I felt him holding me last night…"_ Not knowing how right she really was, Chi-Chi dismissed it as the illusion of a grief-stricken widow made to comfort her. With a heavy, sad sigh, she got up and began to get dressed.

Goku examined the room with a small smile on his lips. It had been a REALLY long time since the last time he was here. He looked around the stone and wooden walls, still white after all these years. Okay, maybe there was a little bit of dust here and there, but still for the most part, it was clean. Carefully, he rang his hand over a dresser, his smile upon his face as memories danced in his head. There were so many memories here. The last time he was here, in fact, he believed it was right before he married Chi-Chi. Slowly, he walked over to the bed and sat down on it, looking around the house still.

"_I miss you, Grandpa,"_ he thought, picking up a photo of his said grandfather and him, smiling sadly at it. "_I wish you were here now to see your grandson named after you; you'd be really proud of him."_

He began looking through his old photos and even found some items that proved his grandfather's connection with Master Roshi. Though he was a little sad, since he still missed his grandfather, Goku was happy to be able to take his trip on memory lane. Time proved to fly a lot faster when the mind wasn't concentrating on it, and when Goku looked out through the window, the sun was setting.

"_Man, I didn't realize how long I'd been here…"_ he thought and decided it was time to check up on Yamcha; he wanted to make sure his friend was doing better.

Gohan was staring at the thin sheet of white paper, his face scrunched up in confusion. He leaned back slightly in his chair, reading over it once more. Yet, no matter how many times he read through the letter, it still made no sense.

"_How could this be?"_ the young demi-Saiyan asked for what felt like the millionth time within that one hour.

Oh sure, he was supposed to be studying, but Gohan couldn't help but ponder about the mysterious and odd letter. He found it on his desk three days ago, but he still couldn't figure out how the letter was written or how it had even gotten on his desk. Often, he wondered if he should show it to his mother, but revealing this to her might just make her even more upset.

The letter was from his father…

How was it possible? His father had been dead for three days and nine months before Gohan had seen the letter. Ever since his father died, he had spent most of his time in this room, and he had certainly been at his desk on those days. There's no way that this letter could have been written after the Cell Games. It was impossible. His father was dead…yet, why hadn't he found this letter until NOW? This letter wasn't on his desk until three days ago, but how could it have gotten there? How could it be from his father?

A deep sigh came from him. His mind was almost beginning to hurt from thinking about it. He wasn't sure whether to feel comforted or disturbed and angry from the letter. On the one hand, if it REALLY came from his father, the letter was loving, and it did comfort him on some level, for it made him feel as if his father was close by. But, if it had been planted by one of his friends, with the intention of making him feel better, it made his blood boil. How dare they pity him and try to impersonate his father? How could they soil his father's memory like that?

That was enough thinking. He had to get started on his schoolwork. With another sigh, he folded up the letter and placed it inside the drawer, and he turned his attention back to his math book, picked up his pencil, and began working out the equations.

Goku decided before he looked on Yamcha to pay Krillin another visit. Oddly enough, he felt his best friend's ki with the scarred former bandit. Curious, Goku teleported to Yamcha's apartment, hearing Krillin and Yamcha yelling as soon as he appeared.

"Yamcha, you need to stop doing this!" Krillin snapped, following his friend to his kitchen.

He spun on his heel and glared down at his short comrade. "Why!" Yamcha snapped. "Nothing's going to change, so what the hell does it matter!" His statement made, he turned and reached into the fridge and pulled out a bottle of beer.

The Saiyan's eyes widen in horror. "No, Yamcha! Don't!" he yelled, but of course, neither of his friends could hear him.

Yamcha popped the cap off and took a swig, leaning against his counter. Krillin just sighed and shook his head. This must have been the fourth time this month he was trying to get Yamcha to stop from acting as such, but it looked like this time was going to be a failure as well.

"You know Goku wouldn't want you to do this," Krillin tried again, looking at Yamcha both tired and stern.

"I don't give a damn…" Yamcha answered, never once looking at his friend and took another gulp of the beer.

"Yamcha, don't say that!" Goku exclaimed. "You don't mean that! I know you don't!" Sadly, since no one could hear or see him and he was afraid moving something might make things worse, there wasn't anything Goku could do. All he could do was just stand there and watch…and it was killing him.

Krillin sighed again softly and looked at him. "Look Yamcha, we all miss Goku. I know how you—"

"No, you don't," he calmly interrupted. Before Krillin could even question him, Yamcha began to explain. "I'm all alone Krillin; I don't have anyone. You got 18 to lean on, but me? I ain't got anyone. No one even likes me in the gang anymore, except for you and Tien. No one."

"That's not—"

"Bull shit it isn't. You and I both know it," Yamcha cut him off again, this time glaring at his friend. "Hell, even Master Roshi doesn't like me! Do you think anyone besides you came over after Goku died! Not even to ask how I was doing!" He tore his eyes away from Krillin and sighed before continuing. "You know…really the only reason anyone liked me was because of Goku… Goku always cared, no matter what. Ever since Bulma left…no one's wanted anything to do with me. After-After she left…Goku was the only one there for me. He was there to help me get back on my feet and get on with life. He was always there for me, and…now that he's gone…I'm all alone again…"

Both Krillin and Goku were almost in tears. They had no idea their friend felt this way. The saddest part was that it was all true too. They knew Yamcha was unpopular with the group, but they both loved him as a brother, so neither paid any real attention to it or just chose to ignore it.

The bald Z fighter swallowed hard and looked up at him. "Yamcha…I'm sorry things aren't different," Krillin stated.

Yamcha sighed heavily. "…Me too…" he murmured.

"Come on, Yamcha…" Krillin began. "Come have dinner with me and 18. You'll feel better."

"Krillin, I don't—"

"Yamcha, please," the short man begged. "…For Goku's sake…"

"Alright," Yamcha answered with a sigh.

His friend smiled. "That's the spirit, Yamcha!" he declared and began walking with his friend out of his apartment. "Now come on, there's someone both 18 and I want you to meet…"

"Oh really?" Yamcha asked as he closed and locked the door to his apartment on their way out.

Goku stood there for a moment, a small smile forming on his lips. "_Thank you, Krillin,"_ he thought. Good, someone was there to help take care of Yamcha. It looked like things would be okay with him now. He knew it was night out, and he decided to go sleep at Kami's Lookout one last time. So, he raised his fingers to his forehead and left.

**

* * *

A/N:** Only two days left, Goku! 

I would like to thank everyone who has been reading this fic; it's coming to an end (hopefully, it will be finished before the end of August), and it has been a joy writing this.

What's up next? A visit to two more friends, Goku gets a few laughs, and comes home for the night!

Please review! Reviews make the author happy!


	9. Make New Friends But Keep the Old

**A/N: **Surprise, surprise! Instead of making all of you wait until later… I updated today! XD For some reason, I just had some sudden inspiration and finished this chappie up! And here's the moment I'm sure many people have waited for… Goku's visiting Bulma and Vegeta!

**Disclaimer: **Read a previous chappie—there should be one on one of them…

**Coming Back Home**

**Chapter Nine: Make New Friends, but Keep the Old **

The night had gone as well as could be expected at Kami's Lookout. It was quiet, not even the sounds of crickets were in the air—but then again, that was understandable. They were hundreds of miles up in the air…how could any crickets get up there? It was a little bit on the chilly side, but Goku was used to that from sleeping in the mountains and in space. The only time there were any serious problems was when Piccolo had started looking around, claiming he felt a strong ki in the Lookout. The Namekican had stared at Goku's spot for awhile before finally walking off, murmuring to himself before going back to meditating.

As stated before, last night was good.

But now, he only had two days left. Goku knew he had to spend them wisely.

_"I wonder how the rest of the gang is doing?..."_ he wondered and decided to pay them all a second visit, since he had already seen Piccolo, Yamcha, and Krillin twice.

After seeing that Master Roshi, Oolong, Tien, and the others were okay, Goku remembered two people he hadn't seen yet: Bulma and Vegeta.

_"Hey, I wonder if Vegeta has even stayed with Bulma?... Trunks never mention if he did or didn't in his timeline… Oh well, time to find out!"_ he thought and teleported himself over to Capsule Corp.

"I know it must be hard, Chi-Chi," Bulma said over her phone, tinkling with a new invention.

Chi-Chi sighed heavily. "I just don't know what to do anymore, Bulma… Goten looks so much like his father that it almost hurts to look at him, I see him everywhere I go… And now guess what? Gohan was just asking me today if I believe the dead can communicate with the living…"

The blue-haired genius nearly fell off her chair at shock at the statement. She straightened herself out and cleared her throat before sighing tiredly. "Chi-Chi, you know there is no way the dead can contact the living," she reprimanded her friend.

When she was younger, the daughter of the Ox King used to believe that they COULD in fact, but after years of no word from her departed mother, Chi-Chi's belief in that theory began to fade; but she NEVER was fully flat-out convinced that it never could or did happen. And after hearing Gohan's question, Chi-Chi couldn't help but wonder. However, she didn't want to start up a fight with Bulma and be mad at her only girl friend for a week.

"Yeah, you're right," Chi-Chi lied. Just as she opened her mouth to talk, Goten's loud wailing could be heard over the phone. "Bulma, I'll call you back; it's time to feed Goten," she replied.

"Okay, Chi-Chi. Take care," Bulma responded; she knew that sound all too well.

"I will. Bye."

"Bye."

Bulma put the phone down and sighed heavily, looking down at her experiment. Suddenly, she just didn't have the motivation to finish it right now.

She knew the woman must be going through a hard time; she remembered how it was it was like when Vegeta left her and Trunks to go train for the upcoming fight with the Androids, but at least he was ALIVE. She couldn't imagine what she would have done had Vegeta been dead.

Shaking her head, she pushed back from the table and stood up from her chair. With one last glance back at her unfinished experiment, Bulma turned and left her lab, locking the door behind her.

Her mind was filled with thoughts about Chi-Chi and her plight, and for once, the blue-haired genius was at a lost of how to help the poor woman. However, as she passed by the nursery, Bulma stepped in to check up on her son. Granted, usually the nanny was the one who looked after him while Bulma worked, but right now, she need to hold her son, remind herself that things were different for herself, reassure her that things would never be like that.

"Hey there, Trunks…" Bulma cooed, picking up the boy, cuddling him close to her chest.

The baby boy looked up at his mother with tired blue eyes, having been just woken up from his nap. Having no clue about his mother's turbulent emotions at the moment, he merely yawned, snuggled next to his warm mother and fell back asleep.

As Bulma looked down at her son, her eyes stung with tears, and she held him closer, almost nuzzling her cheek against the top of his head. She began slowly pacing around the room, occasionally gently rocking Trunks. "Oh Trunks…" she whispered to her slumbering child, "You have no idea how much Mommy needs you in her life…"

Goku teleported in at that moment. He stood behind Bulma and watched her cradling her young son and smiled sadly; it reminded of him when Chi-Chi used to do the exact thing with Gohan when he was baby. The Saiyan missed those times and regretted that there would never be anymore times like that, but he was still happy for his old friend. A laugh almost escaped his lips as he thought back to all his travels with Bulma. Who would have ever thought she would be married to the second most powerful man on Earth and have a son?

Bulma sat down in a rocking chair, still holding her son. "Trunks…" she began in a soft, cooing voice, "Today, I want to tell you about a special friend of Mommy's…" Her smile turned sad as she gazed down at her son, who was finally awake and staring up at his mother with wide eyes, curious to know what was going on. "I want to tell you about an old friend…named Goku," she finished, having no clue that her said friend was actually standing in the room with her.

He frowned when Bulma mentioned him. "Oh no, Bulma…" he murmured. "Not you too…" Did he really make such a bad choice? He thought people would understand that his death was necessary to save the world and his loved ones…

Instead, all it had appeared to have done was upset EVERYONE.

Shaking his head out of his doubts, to save them for later, Goku turned his attention back to his old friend and her child.

"Goku…Goku was a very kind man…" Bulma began, looking up and away from her child for a moment, then looking back down to him. "You would have liked him, Trunks. He…he was funny…a little bit on the goofy side some times, but he was the best friend anyone could ask for…" Her voice almost cracked, due the lump in her throat that started forming when her tears did. She swallowed hard and continued. "He…he was completely selfless… He died so we could all live in a safe world… Wasn't that nice of him?" A heavy sigh escaped her lips. "Yeah…Goku was always that kind of guy…"

Poor Goku felt like he couldn't hear anymore. So, with one sad look at Bulma, he teleported out of there. Deciding it was now time to visit Vegeta, he went to see his former rival.

Surprisingly enough…he was in the Gravity Chamber.

Well, except it was labeled Gravity Room, since it was now inside Capsule Corp. Goku smiled as he watched him for a moment.

"Well, I'll be darn…" Goku said aloud, "He DID stay with her after all!"

And as usual, Vegeta was training. Curious, Goku looked over by the machine's panel and saw that he was working in 300x Earth's normal gravity.

_"Eh, that's not too bad,"_ he thought, remembering how he himself almost trained in that much gravity. Seeing all that he had wanted to see, Goku was about to leave when he heard Vegeta talking.

"Gah!...Damn that Kakorot!" he growled as he wiped the sweat off his brow.

"What?" Goku asked, turning around to face him again.

"Always so…damn…confidant…" he grumbled, continuing his training. "Always having to…show…me…up…the bastard…"

At this point, Goku grew a little annoyed at Vegeta now. After he died to save him and his son AND his wife…this was all the man could do? God, he had to get over this. Deciding to have some fun, Goku smirked for once in his life sadistically and walked over to the gravity machine…

And turned up the dial to 450x Earth's normal gravity.

Vegeta didn't know what hit him.

One minute, he was performing a flying kick just fine… The next, he fell onto the floor on his chest roughly, groaning in pain.

Bulma decided to check up on Vegeta and turned on the monitor that was connected to the camera inside in the Gravity Room. Originally, she was going to just tell Vegeta that dinner would be ready in two hours. Instead, she only gasped in horror and started screaming when she saw her lover lying on the ground, writhing in pain.

She shut off the machine with the external power switch in her lab, resetting the gravity back to normal, and ran into the Gravity Room.

"Vegeta! Oh my God!" she exclaimed, coming to his side. "What happened!"

The Saiyan prince just laid there, grumbling something under his breath in reply. Bulma ignored his grumpy mood, something she did quite often, and helped her injured love onto his feet.

"What were you thinking, training in 450x Earth's gravity!" she demanded.

Hearing her question, Vegeta looked at her confused. "I didn't—I only had it set at 300!" he argued.

"Vegeta, don't lie to me!" Bulma snapped, now starting to drag him out of the room. "I saw the computer; it read 450!"

"Impossible! How can that be?" Vegeta now questioned. And as he was being led out of the room, Vegeta could have sworn he heard something, but couldn't make out what it was…

Little did he know that it was Goku laughing.

Though Goku had enjoyed his little prank, he went into the infirmary with Bulma to make sure his former rival was okay. He didn't think it would have caused him any harm, but he still wanted to make sure.

"Well…looks like you're fine, Vegeta," Bulma commented, looking at the results from the tests she ran.

"Of course I'm fine!" Vegeta snapped at her. "I'm the Prince of all Saiyans!"

Bulma just rolled her eyes tiredly as Goku laughed.

"Yup," Goku began. "Same old Vegeta."

"Dinner wasn't originally going to be ready for almost another hour," she began, "but, in light of things, I think I'll have the cook have it ready in twenty minutes."

"Keh, whatever…" the Saiyan prince grumbled.

"Why you, ungrateful monkey!" Bulma snapped, glaring at him.

Vegeta twitched slightly before jumping up on top of his bed, glaring back at her. "I AM NOT A MONKEY!" he bellowed.

The two continued arguing back and forth as Goku just watched with embarrassment, smiling nervously. "Umm…I think this is where I leave…" he replied as he placed his two fingers onto his forehead and transported himself back home.

When Goku arrived at his home, Chi-Chi was just settling in for bed, and he smiled as he crawled in with her and began rubbing her back gently through the blanket to help her fall asleep, as he did himself.

**

* * *

A/N:** Yay! Only one chapter left! And wow…THIS was my longest chapter in this fic—FIVE pages without the author notes. 

And in the next chapter… Goku's final day… How will he spend it? What will happen?

So, do you like? No? Maybe? Drop me a review!


	10. You Reap What You Sow

**A/N:** There are not enough apologies I could say to show how sorry I am for not updating this fic regularly… Sadly, I had many family issues (i.e. almost having my grandparents die a couple of times within the past two months) and Internet issues (i.e. my wireless no longer works at my home) that postponed the progress of this fic. I hope people still will read this chapter and find it in their hearts to forgive me.

Well, this is it… This is the finale, the last chapter of CBH. Please do not ask or request me to continue this or to write a sequel. There were no plans for a sequel in the beginning, and there are none now. If you would like to see what happens after, I recommend watching the World Tournament Saga.

I also recommend that if you like my DBZ fics that you check out "You Won't Believe This." It's much lighter than CBH, and it features our beloved, goofy Saiyan once more. In addition, as my apology to everyone, I will be posting a couple of Goku one-shots before the year is done.

I've made this long enough, so I'll go ahead and end it… Thank you all for reading and your reviews! You've all been wonderful! Enjoy the chappie!

**Disclaimer:** Still do not own DBZ… Get over it.

**Coming Back Home**

**Chapter Ten: You Reap What You Sow**

Goku yawned loudly as he awoke, sitting up and stretching before he looked over at the clock. It was almost noon.

'_Man,'_ he thought, _'I must have been REALLY tired!'_

A small, tired smile formed on his lips as he sat half-asleep in his bed and let out another yawn. "Well, guess I'd better go hang around Chi-Chi and Gohan before I go back tonight…" he began and was slowly coming out of bed, when all of a sudden…

"GOKU!!!"

The Saiyan yelped in surprise and nearly fell off the bed, when he heard someone scream his name out of the blue, instantly waking him up. He blinked a couple of times before he noticed…

"Baba?" he asked confused, staring at the old witch. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to get YOU!" she answered sternly.

"What?! But I don't leave here until about five this afternoon!"

She sighed heavily and shook her head. "…I tried to warn you, Goku…" she replied.

"Warn me about what?!" he demanded, his eyes still wide in shock as he gawked at her.

"I warned you NOT to disturb the living!!" she snapped, now glaring at him, standing up on her crystal ball.

"But I didn't!"

"Don't you DARE lie to me, Goku!!"

He almost fell back in shock once more, never having heard the witch yell at him like that before. "But I'm not!" Goku earnestly protested.

Baba whipped out a scroll and unraveled it. "You wrote a letter to your son, revealed your presence to your wife TWICE, nearly ate the entire food supply at Kami's Lookout, and tampered with the Gravity Room so Vegeta wouldn't be able to handle it!..." she read aloud, her anger evident. "You're lucky you're not being sent to Hell for all those interferences!!!"

There wasn't anything Goku could say to argue with her. She was right. He had broken the rules… The now down-hearted Saiyan just stared at her sadly for a moment, still sitting on the bed, before looking towards the floor. His mind was flooded with all the memories of the past week, all the people he had seen, everything he had heard…

Though sad for her friend, Baba cleared her throat, trying to catch his attention. "Come along, Goku…it's time to go…" she said, her voice now gentler than it had been earlier.

"Can I at least tell them goodbye, first?" he asked, bringing his head up to face her.

She gave him a crooked, faint half-smile. "Of course…" she replied. "But I can only give you three minutes, Goku…"

He nodded in acknowledgement. "Thank you, I understand…" he consented. Baba gave a nod of her own and vanished.

Goku looked down once more, sighing again. Well, he guessed he should go make the most of the time he had left… With that thought in mind, Goku finally stood up and headed for the kitchen.

Gohan and Chi-Chi were eating lunch together at the table, smiling and talking to each other, not having a clue that their beloved Goku was standing there in the room with them. His eyes almost began to tear up as he walked towards them.

Deciding to start with Gohan, he placed his hand on the back of his chair gently, since he could not touch his son. He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself, but it didn't work as the tears slowly began to fall down his cheeks.

"Gohan…I…I'm really proud of you, Son…" he started, his voice shaking from crying. "I'm sorry I can't be there to see you grow into the man I know you will become… I hope you can forgive me, Gohan… I love you…Son…"

Then, Goku looked over at his wife for a moment, crying now, unsure of what to say to her. By the seven Dragon Balls, this was the most painful thing he ever had to do. Slowly, he made his way over to her and held onto her chair tightly, as if to keep himself steady as he told his wife goodbye.

"Chi-Chi…" he whispered, his voice now hoarse from all of his tears, the lump in his throat so big that he could barely talk. "Chi-Chi…there are so many things I want to tell you… Like thank you for taking care of me and Gohan all these years… That you're the best mother in the whole universe! I know you'll take the best care of Gohan!... And that…that I miss you so much… It's so hard not being able to hold you when you cry, Chi-Chi… or be able to see you smile…" His voice trailed off as the tears took over. He opened his mouth, prepared to speak once more, when the sudden wail of a baby rang throughout the house.

"Huh? A baby?" he asked aloud in shock.

His wife gasped in surprise. "Mommy's coming, Goten!" she yelled and jumped up from her seat, running through Goku and heading off back to Gohan's room.

"Wait a minute… Goten?!" Goku demanded before chasing after his wife.

Various thoughts ran through his mind. He had noticed Chi-Chi had been wearing looser shirts, pants, and dresses lately, but he just thought it was because of the heat.

…He remembered the last time Chi-Chi and him made love…

…It was eight months before the Cell Games…

Oh, Kami… He left a pregnant wife widowed with their sons…

"Oh, it's okay now, sweetheart…" Chi-Chi cooed loudly, snapping Goku out of his frantic thoughts. "Mommy's here!"

Goku stopped outside Gohan's room, standing in the doorway, to see Chi-Chi holding a tiny baby, with her back to him. For a moment, Goku stood in both awe and horror, excited yet heartbroken at the sight.

A son… He had another son…

Slowly, he started to creep into the room, trying to get a better look at his son, when a familiar voice stopped him dead in his tracks.

"…It's time to go, Goku…" Baba stated in a low voice.

Quickly, Goku spun around to face her, floating atop on her crystal ball as usual. "Wait, Baba, I—"

"Sorry, Goku, I cannot change the rules…" she interrupted as she snapped her fingers. Instantly, they began floating, almost flying, upwards.

"No! Wait! I have a son!" Goku cried. "…I HAVE A SON!!!..."

Baba ignored his cries, painfully, and brought him back to the gates of Outer World. She murmured some words of farewell as she left him alone, knowing nothing she could say would console him.

Pausing for a moment, he stood there, letting himself absorb everything that had just happened. With a shudder, Goku struggled not to cry as he pushed open the gates.

And as he went in, Goku realized now that he was in more pain going back into Outer World than what he was when he was coming back home.

**-THE END-**


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